Housing

The Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino and the San Bernardino County Community Development and Housing Agency invites military veterans to apply for spots on the waiting list for 36 brand-new 2- and 3-bedroom apartments at Loma Linda Veterans Village.

Apartments come with refrigerators and dishwashers, while the community includes a club room with kitchen, basketball court, swimming pool, volleyball court, laundry facilities, computer lab and on-site management. Mobility-impaired households will have priority for nine units designed for their needs and hearing/sight-impaired households will have priority for five units designed for their needs.

Income and other restrictions apply. Applicants will be referred from the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino waitlist. Once qualified by the Housing Authority, applicants who are offered a unit will receive a Project-Based Voucher rental subsidy. Tenant rent will be up to 30 percent of the total household gross income as determined by the Housing Authority.

Applications are available for download at the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino website, http://ww2.hacsb.com/, or for pickup at any Housing Authority office.

Up-to-date information is available by calling 909-992-0931. Click here for more information about Loma Linda Veterans Village.

In a milestone decision on June 28, 2018, the state’s Strategic Growth Council (SGC) awarded San Bernardino $20 million through the California Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) program – a first for the Inland Empire. The win reflects a longstanding and heralded public-private partnership to revitalize one of San Bernardino’s core neighborhoods called Arrowhead Grove, formerly known as the Waterman Gardens Public Housing site.

“This decision is paramount in the continued effort toward rehabilitating the Waterman Corridor in San Bernardino,” said City of San Bernardino Mayor R. Carey Davis. “This is a testament to the power of community collaboration. With the support of our partners, we will continue to pursue safe and stable communities for our residents and families to thrive.”

The contribution via AHSC’s implementation of a statewide program uses Cap-and-Trade dollars for projects that improve public health and the environment in disadvantaged communities. The $20 million will help fund two upcoming phases of Arrowhead Grove at North Waterman Avenue and East Baseline Street, compromising 147 affordable housing units and 36 market-rate units, along with pedestrian and transit improvements that will benefit the community-at-large. Upon completion, Arrowhead Grove will include about 400 units as well as community amenities like a pool and clubhouse, upgraded infrastructure, walking paths, a community garden and a computer lab for residents.

National Community Renaissance (National CORE), one of the nation’s largest affordable housing developers and the general contractor for the project, is working in partnership with the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino to transform the Arrowhead Grove neighborhood.

“None of this would be possible without the collective commitment of the City, the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino (HACSB) and every stakeholder, funder and agency that have dedicated themselves to turning this dream into reality,” said Steve PonTell, president and chief executive officer of National CORE. “We are grateful for the SGC and the AHSC support and we are eager to move forward with the next stages of this transformative effort to rebuild San Bernardino block by block.”

“There is a critical need for affordable housing in San Bernardino County,” said Supervisor Josie Gonzales, whose Fifth District includes Arrowhead Grove. “We owe a great deal of thanks to our legislative delegation, the HASCB, National CORE, other county agencies, and the City of San Bernardino for the hard work they put into acquiring this vital funding source.”

Two initial phases of the Waterman Gardens redevelopment have already been completed. Valencia Vista, the first phase with 76 units, opened to residents in December 2016. A little more than a year later, Olive Meadow, the second phase with 62 units, opened in September 2017. Both have earned recognition from the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, and the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition, among others, for the transformative impact on the lives of residents and the community at-large.

“This was a collaborative effort with so many partners,” said Housing Authority of San Bernardino County’s Executive Director Maria Razo. “We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to effectively invest and leverage our dollars to achieve the vision of affordable housing and active transportation options that improve the health and well-being of the residents who live in the area.”

Financing for the overall Arrowhead Grove plan is through a variety of private and public sources including low-income housing tax credit financing, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program and federal HOME-Investment Partnership funds.

With this advancement and the continued momentum of the developer, agencies involved are hopeful that Arrowhead Grove’s construction will break ground in late 2018 or early 2019.

ABOUT THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES PROGRAM (AHSC) The Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program (AHSC) builds healthier communities and protects the environment by increasing the supply of affordable places to live near jobs, stores, transit, and other daily needs. This program is administered by the Strategic Growth Council (SGC) which coordinates the activities of State agencies and partners with stakeholders to promote sustainability, economic prosperity, and quality of life for all Californians. The AHSC Program is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide program that puts billions of Cap‑and‑Trade dollars to work reducing GHG emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment – particularly in disadvantaged communities. For more information, visit the California Climate Investments website at: www.caclimateinvestments.ca.gov

ABOUT NATIONAL COMMUNITY RENAISSANCE (NATIONAL CORE) National Community Renaissance, based in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., is one of the nation’s largest nonprofit developers of affordable housing. CORE manages nearly 9,000 affordable, senior and market-rate units in California, Arkansas, Texas and Florida. Over its nearly two decade history, the Hope through Housing Foundation has provided more than 2 million hours of transformational social services such as financial literacy training, senior wellness, and preschool and afterschool programs. For more information on National CORE and Hope through Housing, please visit www.nationalcore.org.

ABOUT HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO (HACSB) The Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino is one of the nation’s most progressive housing authorities in the Country. As the largest provider of affordable housing in the County, we proudly serve approximately 30,000 people, most of whom are seniors, veterans, disabled individuals, and children. We also work on connecting our families with additional needed to achieve their personal goals. For more information, please visit: www.hacsb.com

ABOUT CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO San Bernardino is a city rooted in rich history and cultural diversity. Located at the base of the San Bernardino Mountains, this city is positioned for world-class excellence made possible with access to nearby deserts, mountain communities and beaches. San Bernardino is also situated along one of the nation’s busiest transportation corridors and thrives as a logistics hub. Currently under a major revitalization effort, the City of San Bernardino has endless possibilities for the future. For additional information about San Bernardino, visit www.SBCity.org, facebook.com/sbcitygov or twitter.com/sbcitygov.

The Community Foundation serving the counties of San Bernardino and Riverside is currently accepting online applications from nonprofits that would like to participate in Give BIG San Bernardino County. Give BIG San Bernardino County is an exciting 24-hour event to increase philanthropy in San Bernardino County through online giving on Nov. 29. The goal of the campaign is to raise much-needed funds for nonprofits serving the residents of, and visitors to, San Bernardino County.

Nonprofit requirements include one year of nonprofit 501(c)(3) status, have a physical location within the County of San Bernardino zip codes, or provide itinerant services in the County of San Bernardino. National nonprofits are welcome if a local chapter serves the County of San Bernardino.

To submit an application, please visit www.givebigsbcounty.org. To learn more about the campaign and upcoming training, visit Give BIG San Bernardino County on Facebook (GiveBigSanBernardinoCounty), Twitter@GiveBigSBCounty, or visit our website at www.givebigsbcounty.org. For assistance, call The Community Foundation at 909.644.6221.
Thanks to funding and support from the County of San Bernardino Board of Supervisors and the contributions of generous sponsors, Give Big San Bernardino County is providing valuable training to nonprofits in the use of social media, cultivating relationships with donors, developing a communications plan, and raising much-needed funds from online donors. These online donations provide critical funding to help nonprofits in San Bernardino County not only address poverty but also other challenges the county residents face in the areas of education, health, the environment, public safety, family and youth services. Give BIG San Bernardino County also provides donors with an online giving platform, whose donations help to improve the quality of life for all through recreation, the arts, and more.

The San Bernardino County Homeless Partnership invites the public to attend the 8th Annual Homeless Summit held in conjunction with the Interagency Council on Homelessness and the Homeless Provider Network.

Homeless service providers, faith-based organizations, city governments, and other public and private agencies involved in providing services to chronically homeless individuals and families are encouraged to attend.

The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Ontario Convention Center, 2000 E. Convention Center Way in Ontario.

This year’s event is entitled “Collaboration is KEY”, and is geared to inspire faith-based and community-based homeless providers and government agencies to become more informed and active in forming practical solutions and policies to end homelessness. The summit will include a variety of targeted workshops including:

A new law enforcement approach to homelessness;

The role of WIA and EDD Employment programs, as well as the veteran program in helping people become employed;

Funding opportunities for homeless service providers; and

Progress on ending veteran homelessness

This year’s Homeless Summit is provided free of charge through the Partnerships continued commitment to provide quality services and salient resources to homeless service providers – our essential partners in our joint effort to end chronic homelessness.

Registration for this event is available through the San Bernardino County Homeless Partnership website at www.sbcounty.gov/sbchp/.

There are four workshops to choose from, so please pick one workshop from each section. You may also contact Deanna Luttrell from the Office of Homeless Services at (909) 386-8225 or via email at dluttrell@dbh.sbcounty.gov if you need assistance with summit registration.

With a $32,000 grant from The California Endowment via the Riverside County Department of Public Health, San Bernardino County will conduct an education-based demonstration project that will help youth move up and out of affordable housing communities located throughout the county.

This project represents the Countywide Vision in action, with a particular focus on one of the Vision’s regional goals of partnering with all sectors of the community to support the success of every child from cradle to career.

The Departments of Public Health, Community Development and Housing, and the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools are collaborating on a plan that will help residents attain appropriate reading levels by the third grade, learn how to improve nutrition and increase physical activity, and address bullying and school safety.

An affordable housing development will be identified to introduce a training module through its resident services program, which will help individuals attain core skills that will help them achieve wellness and confidence.

“This demonstration project seeks to address education, nutrition and school safety, which are three of the top community wellness priorities established through the Community Vital Signs initiative during 2013, and to promote the Countywide Vision’s Cradle to Career goal,” said Trudy Raymundo, director of the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health.

The purpose of the grant is to introduce the concept of “Health in All Policies.” Success of the project will demonstrate the benefit of introducing policy that will enable similar training programs in affordable housing throughout San Bernardino and Riverside counties. The California Endowment is a private, statewide health foundation with a mission to expand access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities, and to promote fundamental improvements in the health status of all Californians.

City, county and local government leaders convened in at the 14th Annual City-County Conference in Lake Arrowhead on March 24-25 to discuss unique ways to collaborate and bring innovative ideas to meet challenges in our communities.

The conference themed “Partners in Progress” began with a presentation on the benefits of collective impact in solving society’s complex problems.

Collective impact occurs when organizations from different sectors agree to solve a specific social problem using a common agenda, aligning their efforts, and using common measures of success, said Jennifer Splansky Juster, director of the Collective Impact Forum at FSG, a nonprofit consulting firm.

Juster highlighted the use of collective impact used in by officials in New York state who were struggling with recidivism of their juvenile offenders. By tapping state resources in the areas such as mental health, housing, and corrections, the state reduced the number of juveniles in state custody by 45 percent.

This model has been used across the country to tackle some of the most serious social issues, including the education system in Cincinnati, malnutrition in low socioeconomic status communities, substance abuse in teens, and childhood obesity. This model holds promise as a successful approach to the Cradle to Career goal of the Countywide Vision.

San Bernardino County Director of Public Health Trudy Raymundo led a lively discussion about healthy communities using artists who drew a mural showing what healthy communities look like based on a wish list received from conference attendees.

Their answers ranged from clean air, to a general plan that promotes diversity in housing amenities, to bike and walking paths and recreation centers.

Barbara Alejandre, assistant to the County Superintendent of Schools joined San Bernardino County Director of Preschool Services Diana Alexander to talk about education’s role in the economy of our region.

Education is an excellent investment in a region’s overall economic vitality, and improves social, environmental, and cultural factors as well. The Countywide Vision Cradle to Career Roadmap was developed to bring all sectors of our community together to support every child’s path to the workforce.

Already underway in the Colton Joint Unified School District are Community Cabinets of educators, parents, community members and business leaders working together to develop concrete goals -such as reading by third grade – to help children excel in school and build the skills necessary to sustain themselves into adulthood.

Board of Supervisors Chair Janice Rutherford and the County’s Chief Executive Officer Gregory C. Devereaux discussed County government’s roles and responsibilities and how those duties relate to a county’s incorporated cities.

Counties have four basic functions: provide municipal services in unincorporated areas, provide the backbone infrastructure, provide health and human services and law enforcement and justice.

Cities and counties have major differences in function and they are not the same in structure and legal abilities, Devereaux said. However, cities and counties can find ways to collaborate and work with each other on major issues to reach common goals.

The conference was sponsored by the County of San Bernardino, San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG) and the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

The Building Industry Association Southern California Baldy View Chapter honored local leaders and government entities that help make San Bernardino County more business-friendly during their Holiday Charity Gala on December 5.

The recipients of the awards recognize the array of economic and quality of life benefits that housing provides and continuously work with the building industry to promote sound policies that ensure more families attain the dream of home ownership.

The recipients are:

Senator Norma Torres – for her support of the passage of Assembly Bill 116, legislation that provides an automatic 24-month extension to existing and unexpired tentative tract and parcel maps and builds upon the previous extension granted in 2011.

City of Hesperia – To help attract new home development and job creation the City of Hesperia reduced development impact fees by 25 percent or $6,200 per unit for 18-months through October of next year.

Carlos Rodriguez, Good Government Award Recipients on behalf of City of Hesperia, Councilmembers Bill Holland, Russ Blewett , Terry Kent and Bill Jahn

City of Upland – This year the City of Upland launched a Blue Ribbon Committee to help increase the efficiency of the city’s development process. The BIA worked with the committee to provide the city with recommendations for procedural changes, development code and department structural changes to help streamline the entitlement/development processes for applicants. Moving forward in 2014, the BIA anticipates improvements to the City’s Planning, Engineering and Off & On-site Inspection policies.

City of Highland – The BIA seeks to ensure there are housing options for all families at all socioeconomic levels. The BIA staff has worked with the City of Highland since October 2012, to reform their current inclusionary housing ordinance as part of an update to their Housing Element. Under this ordinance, a homebuilder has been required to build at least 15 percent affordable units into every project or pay a $3,750 in-lieu fee per unit. Working together with the BIA, the city identified a strategy whereby a market-based approach can produce workforce housing and keep Highland’s Housing Element in compliance with state requirements. As a result, the City of Highland voted unanimously on November 26 to suspend their housing ordinance.

Good Government Award Recipient on behalf of City of Highland Mayor Larry McCallon, Terry Kent, Carlos Rodriguez